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Hey my friends!
This past weekend my friend and I took a lovely 3 day trip to Geneva! The goal was to explore all that Geneva has to offer tourists – as I feel personally it’s quite an overlooked place to have a break — and after my trip there recently, quite underrated!
It’s a really scenic city, with a strong French influence. It really does have everything in terms of views and landscapes too, being set right on the edge of Lac Léman, a huge lake, and surrounded by totally incredible views of the Alps and Jura mountains, and even more amazing views of Mont Blanc. Meaning if you were to have a break here, you could also tie it in with a stunning trip to The Alps also! There’s so much in the area to do, or even just take in the views of.
There’s tons of quirky museums, outdoor markets, great shops – ranging from high street to luxury. Of course, Switzerland is also known for it’s chocolate, watches and fondue – which sounds like a dream! And you KNOW I had to try some Swiss chocolate whilst I was there.
DAY 1
We had a morning flight from Heathrow, which meant we could arrive and check-in, and really make the most of having a full first day! With some really lovely things lined up to do.
We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Mandarin Oriental, which was in an absolutely perfect location and had the most breathtaking views over the mountains and the river. It was a super luxurious stay, every member of staff we met during the stay was SO attentive and helpful and if I ever return to Geneva, this would definitely be my go-to! I had a river suite, look how beautiful it was!
For lunch, after we checked in, we walked to the lovely Monsieur Bouillon, the French cultural influence here was definitely noticeable and we loved this.
After lunch, we headed over to the Tropical Corner, which was created to be a windsurfing school originally over 40 years ago, but now offers a great range of board sports, such as paddle boarding. It’s such a beautiful corner of the city, which definitely has a true ‘holiday’ vibe to it, with big palm trees and set right on the water, with plenty of places to enjoy a drink or some food, whilst looking out on the water. some live music if you go at the right time – If you love people watching and relaxing on holiday, this is the place! Especially with the scenes of the water sports right in front of you. Genevan’s also love hanging out here on the evening, so is a super popular place to visit in the area for some downtime.
It’s also important to note that public transport in Geneva is super handy, you can even grab a FREE travel card to cover you for your days there, if you’re staying in approved accommodation – Which I thought was AMAZING! You’ll not have to worry about taxis or counting this into your spending money, and will probably visit more places knowing you can get about free of charge. It’s all really well connected with trains, buses and boats.
After, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, that we had booked at Sachi, a restaurant within our hotel. You know I was going to be really excited about this one… It was a beautiful and elegant Japanese restaurant, serving lots of modern dishes. They have a nice bar area perfect for grabbing a drink before or after dinner, along with a stunning garden terrace called ‘Zen’, which was curated by a specialist Japanese gardener, provides an idyllic setting on the Rhône waterside.
At dinner, the head chef, Mitsu, who was trained by the master Nobu Matsuhisa, a renowned local figure in Japanese gastronomy, guided us through a range of unique and so many surprising flavours – which you know I love at a special dinner out. This really personal approach feels really exclusive and adds a really memorable touch. We did the eight course Omakase menu, which was a great way to try the best of what was on offer at Sachi!
Check out the full menu here! – I would highly recommend and would LOVE to come again if I’m back in future!
DAY 2
I had such a great nights sleep after such a busy day and of course, my room was incredible, the beds were sooo comfortable. I had breakfast at the hotel, which the selection I have to say, was amazing also.
After breakfast, we had planned to head out for some shopping – with a particular exciting place in mind! We were heading to Bucherer, just a ten minute walk away, for a unique shopping experience. Bucherer is a super high-end, exclusive jewellery shop in Geneva, with the most incredible jewellery and of course watches! (being Switzerland of course).
I tried on a beautiful necklace and fell in LOVE!
Afterwards, we had relaxed lunch booked at Les Armures, which is the oldest restaurant in Geneva. I’ve lost count of how many people recommended we try it. I have to say, this was one of my highlights of the trip. Make sure you book in advance, by a few days, so you don’t miss out.
After lunch, we were booked in at the amazing Bain-Bleu Hammam and Spa which was only a 16 minute trip by bus, or just a 25 minute walk. Bain-Bleu, is a a unique and stunning spa, offering two different experiences: the Bath area and the Hammam. The Bath area has two pools, magical world of aquatic facilities with hot tubs, whirlpools, massage jets, massage beds, as well as a steaming room and a really cute Bistro Lounge as well as a panoramic terrace. Something I’ve noticed on this trip is that every restaurant, cafe, spa or hotel really makes the most of the views and incorporates them into every space you visit, so you can really make the most of them.
After Bain-Bleu, we headed over to The Fairmont Hotel, as we’d been kindly invited to enjoy front row seats of Geneva’s phenomenal Drone Show, which was taking place over Geneva’s Harbour. Can I just say, this was AMAZING! So well created and innovative, we’ve seen glimpses of this becoming more popular in the UK with the New Year’s Eve fireworks in London etc, but to see this in real life was totally epic and Geneva Tourism was so kind to invite us to enjoy it with the best seats in the house!
Afterwards we headed back to the hotel after a super busy day, ready for another exciting day ahead!
Day 3
Em and I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the hotel again and had a pretty free morning to explore the city a little more. We had decided we just had to check out one of Switzerland’s most renowned sweet treats… chocolate of course! Also another great opportunity to use the travel card to get around.
We also had a ‘Citypass’ which is just one pass, but covers you for free or discounted entry for 60 attractions! This also counts towards free us of the public transport to save you getting the travel card I mentioned too! All of their best attractions and spots too, which was absolutely amazing, I wonder if you could do all 60 in a weekend? Perhaps not.. you might need longer! but at least it gives you the freedom to truly explore the city with freedom and make the most of it no matter how long you’re there! You’d never run out of things to do! You can get one for 24, 48 or 72 hours – so be sure to check it out as I think it’s REALLY good value for the price!!
But the plan for this morning, was to really make the most of the ‘Choco Pass’ – which for chocolate fans like us, was HEAVEN! It allows you to explore the city while discovering the unique Chocolate Switzerland is so well known for. The Choco Pass works by being activated as soon as you enter the first chocolate shop included on the pass, and entitles you to a tasting plate at the selected chocolate shops. At each place, the plate will is different depending on the chocolate shop you visit.
After indulging on all of the most delicious chocolate (It classifies as a brunch right? 😂) , I was definitely ready for some fresh sea air, and we were so excited to be heading a short walk away to the port for a wonderful boat cruise and lunch on board. We got there for just after 12pm and got aboard the Belle Epoque, CGN Genève’s beautiful boat. They offer lots of cruises with or without lunch / dinner, so you can make this experience what you’d like it to be!
The views on the cruise were just beautiful, I felt like I was literally living a dream! We could see the views of both the gorgeous French and Swiss landscapes. The boat cruise lasted around 3 hours, and we loved every minute of it! We got off in Jardin Anglais, and there was lots of different activities on for The Drone Show taking place again this evening in the city, such as concerts, rollerskating, a big wheel and more!
In the evening, we had a dinner reservation at the Restaurant De La Plage Des Eaux Vives – which was an amazing floating restaurant in the middle of the lake, with a breathtaking view. It’s a classic Geneva bistro, where they pride themselves on serving regional products, which are in season at the time and they can trace where every product has come from – ensuring its of high quality and also more sustainable! I thought this was really innovative and impressive, something I’d love to see in more restaurants in London! Check out their lovely menu here!
DAY 4
The last day.. wow I was so sad to be leaving after such a wonderful trip! We truly had done SO much in just a few days, if Geneva sounds like your kind of trip, you could definitely do a long weekend here and make the most of it, it would totally be enough time!
On my final morning, I enjoyed a lovely breakfast in my room this time as the hotel provided me with room service. This was definitely my favourite breakfast of the trip!
Our flight wasn’t until just after 5pm, so we knew we still had plenty of time to enjoy the day and explore the city one last time.
After wandering for a few hours, we had lunch at Le Klosque Des Bastions, a modern brasserie with a gorgeous glass roof and leafy terrace located in the heart of the city. They host a brunch at weekends and it was one of the most wonderful brunch buffets i’ve seen, I will definitely be going back in the future!
After lunch, it was sadly the time to head back home! We headed back to the hotel to grab our things and grabbed a taxi back to the airport. Everything was so smooth during the entirety of our trip here, and we definitely loved every moment. I think we were both pleasantly surprised just how stunning the scenery was, how much there was to do and see during our time there and one of the highlights of course being all of the dining options available and the high standard at everywhere that we ate. If you’re looking for a city break, but still want to be able to experience a true ‘holiday’ vibe and feel, especially with the weather, Geneva has got to be one to add to your list!
I also want to express how much I loved my stay at The Mandarin Oriental again, the room was so dreamy, the breakfasts every morning were impeccable and we loved our dinner at Sachi on our first night. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful and organised if we need anything, and really made us feel at home from the moment we arrived!
Until next time,
M. Xx
Disclaimer – This was a PR trip hosted by Geneva tourism.
